Perched on a rocky promontory towering over the Maine river, the château d’Angers is an impressive monument with a singularly lengthy history. The land on which it lies once featured a Neolithic sepulcher, a Gallic oppidum, the heart of a Roman town, and a huge Roman counts’ palace. During the 13th century the mother of King Saint Louis, Blanche of Castille, chose it as the site for a gigantic, half-kilometer-long enclosure punctuated by no less than seventeen shale and limestone towers. The resulting fortress conveyed an impression of unlimited power and its elaborate military architecture rendered it practically impregnable. That said, adaptations of the château to the evolution of artillery and its utilization as prison and barracks led to the disappearance of some of the medieval buildings. Be that as it may, from the height of its ramparts, on the parapet walk, the panoramic view of Angers is breathtaking.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the dukes of Anjou Louis I, Louis II and King René, close to the King of France, who were are also counts of Provence and claimants of Italian territories, set up court at Angers. The Château d’Angers conserved within the enclosure – the chapel, the gatehouse and the royal lodgings -, along with the Apocalypse Tapestry, attest to the sustained interest of enlightened princes in architecture and works of art.

Given its dimensions -100 meters long -, its antiquity and its technical and stylistic virtuosity, the Apocalypse Tapestry is an extraordinary masterpiece of medieval art,  one of a kind.

Commissioned in the late 14th century by Louis I, brought into being in record time, it consists in six sections, each of which features two different styles and contains fourteen scenes. King Jean de Bruges’ official painter was the creator of the sketches on the basis of which the tapestry was woven. A large-scale work possibly originally aimed at bolstering the status of Louis’ Valois dynasty, it offers an illustration of the Book of Revelation, last book of the Bible. The tapestry is also a major source of information on the historical, social and political context of its creation, which was highlighted by the Hundred Years’ War. As one of most renowned cathedral tapestries in Europe (up until the French Revolution, it was displayed in Angers Cathedral), it is now exhibited in the château.

The Château d’Angers is also the site of exceptionally diversified gardens: the regular garden with its yews and box trees, the vines, the vegetable garden, the rose garden, the hortensia garden, the hanging garden with its medicinal, tinctorial, maleficent plants… Some of the above are depicted in the Apocalypse Tapestry.   Associating history and an innovatve approach favoring sustainable development, the gardens are a haven for walkers. To keep this heritage site alive, the national estate of the château regularly regales visitors with temporary exhibitions in the royal lodgings  … and in the gardens, as well.

Photo gallery of Château d’Angers

Visits

  • Free individual visits
  • Guided individual tours
  • Average duration of the individual visit : 2 heures libre
  • Groups welcome
  • Free group tours
  • Guided group tours
  • Group educational visits
  • Average duration of the group visit : 2h30
  • Available languages
    • Parlées : French, German, English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch
    • Panneaux : French, English
    • Audio : German, English, Spanish, French, Italian

Activities

Opening time

From February 12 to April 30, 2022
Monday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Tuesday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Wenesday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Thursday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Friday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Saturday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Sunday10 AM - 05:30 PM
From May 02 to June 04, 2022
Monday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Tuesday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Wenesday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Thursday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Friday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Saturday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Sunday10 AM - 06:30 PM
On June 05, 2022
Monday02 PM - 06:30 PM
Tuesday02 PM - 06:30 PM
Wenesday02 PM - 06:30 PM
Thursday02 PM - 06:30 PM
Friday02 PM - 06:30 PM
Saturday02 PM - 06:30 PM
Sunday02 PM - 06:30 PM
From June 06 to September 04, 2022
Monday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Tuesday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Wenesday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Thursday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Friday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Saturday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Sunday10 AM - 06:30 PM
From September 05 to November 13, 2022
Monday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Tuesday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Wenesday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Thursday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Friday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Saturday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Sunday10 AM - 05:30 PM
From November 19 to December 24, 2022
Monday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Tuesday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Wenesday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Thursday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Friday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Saturday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Sunday10 AM - 05:30 PM
From 26 to December 31, 2022
Monday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Tuesday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Wenesday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Thursday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Friday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Saturday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Sunday10 AM - 05:30 PM
From January 02 to April 30, 2023
Monday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Tuesday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Wenesday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Thursday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Friday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Saturday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Sunday10 AM - 05:30 PM
From May 02 to September 04, 2023
Monday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Tuesday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Wenesday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Thursday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Friday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Saturday10 AM - 06:30 PM
Sunday10 AM - 06:30 PM
From September 05 to December 31, 2023
Monday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Tuesday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Wenesday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Thursday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Friday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Saturday10 AM - 05:30 PM
Sunday10 AM - 05:30 PM

Prices

Full adult price : € 9.50

Children's price : from € 0.00 to € 0.00

Further information

Labels

  • Accueil Vélo
    Accueil Vélo
  • La Loire à vélo
    La Loire à vélo
  • Vignobles et découvertes
    Vignobles et découvertes

Payment method

  • Credit card
  • Holiday vouchers

Access

  • SNCF train station at 0,6 km

Services and equipments

  • Shop
  • Bar cafeteria tea room